Obama And Change

OBAMA AND CHANGE....I don't want to beat this into the ground, but yesterday I linked to an Ezra Klein post lamenting the fact that Barack Obama hasn't been using his immense rhetorical gifts to actively move public opinion in a more liberal direction. Matt Yglesias responds:

Ultimately, though, the question of whether or not deep down in his heart Obama is really the liberal Reagan or not is neither here nor there....The extent to which Obama or Clinton or anyone else governs as a progressive will have more to do with the objective circumstances in which he or she finds himself or herself — the congressional balance of power, the strength of interest groups, the quality of organizing on the ground — than it will with what lurks in the deepest recesses of his or her brain.

Rather, my question is about his political courage. Obama obviously has the talent to move people, and at some point he's going to have to decide whether he's willing to use that talent to start persuading the American public of the value of liberal policies, not merely the value of coming together and "making change." The latter might get him elected, but it won't get him elected with a tailwind of public opinion actively in favor of implementing a liberal agenda.

Now, my concern on this score is fairly minor. It's not as if he's hiding his views or anything, and the ideological stakes will inevitably come into sharper focus during the general election campaign. Right now he's trying to win a primary against a woman with broadly similar liberal views, so emphasizing unity over ideology is a smart tactic.

Still, speaking only for myself, at this point I'd like to see some kind of Sistah Souljah moment in reverse: something that demonstrates his willingness to take political risks on behalf of moving public opinion to the left. After all, if he's willing to take political risks now, it's a good sign that he'll be willing to spend political capital later.